Track day/TT3/SM Build LFX v6
07-28-2020, 09:32 AM
#126
It looks like the factory ducting is in place, which is good. Make sure the radiator is totally sealed against the plastic ducting and the unibody, this made a big difference on my car.
Can you just run two RX-8 oil coolers like the factory setup? That should keep the oil plenty cool, and they've got a thermostat in them so they're bypassed until the oil gets hot. They are obviously not in the airflow path for the coolant radiator which also helps.
Can you just run two RX-8 oil coolers like the factory setup? That should keep the oil plenty cool, and they've got a thermostat in them so they're bypassed until the oil gets hot. They are obviously not in the airflow path for the coolant radiator which also helps.
07-28-2020, 06:06 PM
#127
I did think about just adding the second factory oil cooler in.
its probably the easier option and I have one in the spare chassis.
The nice thing about the big setrab is it's an extra quart of oil and I know it'll easily keep me in the 21x range on the hottest of days. Wife is beckoning.
its probably the easier option and I have one in the spare chassis.
The nice thing about the big setrab is it's an extra quart of oil and I know it'll easily keep me in the 21x range on the hottest of days. Wife is beckoning.
10-23-2020, 12:02 PM
#128
Been a while since i posted an update.
no changes to report other than some damper tuning.
I attended a local autox, the car did pretty good, mid pack both raw and pax and beat out the other car in sm.
It was a cool damp day and my track day tires never had enough heat so i had a little trouble putting power down on exits. Despite that the car handled performed very good, much better than its driver. I started with a dnf at my first autox in many years so i was a little nervous and held back in that area the entire time.
Grudlife is coming up in 2 weeks, looking forward to that.
I bought a garmin catalyst to try out, ill share my impressions after yhe event. I have a feeling i should have went with the vbox hd2.
Next on the list of mods is to insulate the downpipes. The drivers side is very close to the abs pump and fuel lines.
I attempted to do with the part in car but there isnt enough room. I expect to do this after an event in early December.
Im also thinking about getting some of the splparts rear arms. I want to lock out the eccentrics and just use the arms for adjustment. Making my own would cost half as much, they would be more basic and heavier plus my time is worth something so im not sure how much id save in the end.
Tip for other lfx guys doing autox. Launch in second and get into 3rd early. Made a world of difference for me.
no changes to report other than some damper tuning.
I attended a local autox, the car did pretty good, mid pack both raw and pax and beat out the other car in sm.
It was a cool damp day and my track day tires never had enough heat so i had a little trouble putting power down on exits. Despite that the car handled performed very good, much better than its driver. I started with a dnf at my first autox in many years so i was a little nervous and held back in that area the entire time.
Grudlife is coming up in 2 weeks, looking forward to that.
I bought a garmin catalyst to try out, ill share my impressions after yhe event. I have a feeling i should have went with the vbox hd2.
Next on the list of mods is to insulate the downpipes. The drivers side is very close to the abs pump and fuel lines.
I attempted to do with the part in car but there isnt enough room. I expect to do this after an event in early December.
Im also thinking about getting some of the splparts rear arms. I want to lock out the eccentrics and just use the arms for adjustment. Making my own would cost half as much, they would be more basic and heavier plus my time is worth something so im not sure how much id save in the end.
Tip for other lfx guys doing autox. Launch in second and get into 3rd early. Made a world of difference for me.
12-08-2020, 05:52 PM
#129
The Garmin catalyst is pretty cool. If you do track days i would suggest trying one out. Evaluation of a product like this is tricky. Is it the seat time or the device thats improving you. The biggest thing ive gained is consistency, my laps are varying by a much smaller margin now. If you drive great lines and try things that are less successful later it lets you know during that session and will guide you back to that optimal line.
I think its very helpful at speeding the learning process up.
It quickly identifies a few areas to maximize improvement. I grabbed a coach for a session and his advice mirrored the Garmin in where to improve, however unlike the garmin, a coaches experience can tell you to apex slightly later and skip the 2nd apex all together and start unwinding the wheel instead. Once i did that the Garmin 100% agreed and started helping me fine tune a new line. Splitting a 1/2 day with a pro coach with a buddy and use the 2nd half the day listening to the garmin help you fine tune the execution is probably a great strategy.
The grid life event was fun, lots of things to see and do between sessions and its quite a different crowd as compared to the usual hpde/spec miata crowd. I set a new personal best if 2:02 at NOLA.
Ive also done a nasa event since then, last weekend actually.. I think ive gotten the suspension dialed in quite a bit better. Im still on 800/550 springs but ive raised rebound and compression on both ends with 3 clicks more of both in the rear. The car brakes much better now. Im very pleased with that as i was unhappy with the breaking performance. The car is rotating in and out of turns much bemuch now.
Federal fz-201m are awesome still! Hope someone else gives them a try. Phils tire sells them. With the weather in the low 50's and overcast it was rough getting them warmed up. Depending on where you live that could be a problem, for me its a 2 months out of the year issue at most. Took 3-4 laps before I had full grip but boy do they grip.
I think its very helpful at speeding the learning process up.
It quickly identifies a few areas to maximize improvement. I grabbed a coach for a session and his advice mirrored the Garmin in where to improve, however unlike the garmin, a coaches experience can tell you to apex slightly later and skip the 2nd apex all together and start unwinding the wheel instead. Once i did that the Garmin 100% agreed and started helping me fine tune a new line. Splitting a 1/2 day with a pro coach with a buddy and use the 2nd half the day listening to the garmin help you fine tune the execution is probably a great strategy.
The grid life event was fun, lots of things to see and do between sessions and its quite a different crowd as compared to the usual hpde/spec miata crowd. I set a new personal best if 2:02 at NOLA.
Ive also done a nasa event since then, last weekend actually.. I think ive gotten the suspension dialed in quite a bit better. Im still on 800/550 springs but ive raised rebound and compression on both ends with 3 clicks more of both in the rear. The car brakes much better now. Im very pleased with that as i was unhappy with the breaking performance. The car is rotating in and out of turns much bemuch now.
Federal fz-201m are awesome still! Hope someone else gives them a try. Phils tire sells them. With the weather in the low 50's and overcast it was rough getting them warmed up. Depending on where you live that could be a problem, for me its a 2 months out of the year issue at most. Took 3-4 laps before I had full grip but boy do they grip.
Last edited by Mike D; 12-08-2020 at 05:55 PM.
The following users liked this post:
DocWalt (12-08-2020)
12-11-2020, 04:05 PM
#131
Current alignment
Front camber 2.5 caster 6 toe 0
Rear camber 2 toe .10
34psi hot
The shoulders are wearing evenly but the center is wearing slower on both ends.
Haven't taken tire temps, probably need more hot psi.
Front camber 2.5 caster 6 toe 0
Rear camber 2 toe .10
34psi hot
The shoulders are wearing evenly but the center is wearing slower on both ends.
Haven't taken tire temps, probably need more hot psi.
12-12-2020, 12:49 PM
#133
Thanks! I love the wot sound it makes.
The car weighs 2943 with 1/2 tank of gas.
No weight reduction has been done at all.
The dame day we weighed a bone stock rx8 at 3,004 with 3/4 tank of gas. Ive seen some claims mid 2800 on stock cars. So id say +-100lbs is fair.
Gm diff is all aluminum and the ppf goes away plus engine doesn't tuck quite as far back as the renisis, so a slight shift in weight. 54% weight up front now.
The car weighs 2943 with 1/2 tank of gas.
No weight reduction has been done at all.
The dame day we weighed a bone stock rx8 at 3,004 with 3/4 tank of gas. Ive seen some claims mid 2800 on stock cars. So id say +-100lbs is fair.
Gm diff is all aluminum and the ppf goes away plus engine doesn't tuck quite as far back as the renisis, so a slight shift in weight. 54% weight up front now.
12-14-2020, 02:57 PM
#134
Congrats on your successes and your progress looks to be coming along very well. It was not easy for my 8 to hit its' 2942 curb.
What tracks do you frequent?
I personally would love the opportunity to drive together for the sake of A/B comparison. I think there are more than enough similarities between our cars and I'd be more than happy to come to COTA, possibly VIR as well.
What tracks do you frequent?
I personally would love the opportunity to drive together for the sake of A/B comparison. I think there are more than enough similarities between our cars and I'd be more than happy to come to COTA, possibly VIR as well.
12-14-2020, 08:18 PM
#135
So far the majority of my track days are spent at NOLA Motorsports Park. Its only 3 hours away from me, ive gotten to know the regulars there and nearby fantastic food.
I'm in Pensacola Florida, so there are quite a few options within an 8 hour range.
Im really thinking about taking the car to kirk in birmingham and get setup with a halo seat and a roll bar with some forward bars or just full cage. Haven't figured that part out 100%
I'm in Pensacola Florida, so there are quite a few options within an 8 hour range.
Im really thinking about taking the car to kirk in birmingham and get setup with a halo seat and a roll bar with some forward bars or just full cage. Haven't figured that part out 100%
12-17-2020, 05:24 PM
#136
Decided im going to cage the car with kind of a compromised design so i can keep functional windows and be safe-ish driving to the gas station or short drives to dest things.
sabelt gt-pad seat, It fits me better than anything else ive tried.
main hoop with diagonal and harness barAn x between the rear supports
x door bars, shallow pyramid.
utilize a front hoop design with a Knee bar and center bars from rear hoop to front hoop (kissed x or dog bone) for head clearances.
Picture a normal roll cage with a t top bar instead of bars at the sides of the car
Im aware it's not w2w legal but would be easy (2 bars) to make it so. I think for hpde and tt it will be great. Considering that even with me driving the car is as fast as or faster than some actual race cars I feel its important to reduce the risk to myself in the event something unexpected happens
sabelt gt-pad seat, It fits me better than anything else ive tried.
main hoop with diagonal and harness barAn x between the rear supports
x door bars, shallow pyramid.
utilize a front hoop design with a Knee bar and center bars from rear hoop to front hoop (kissed x or dog bone) for head clearances.
Picture a normal roll cage with a t top bar instead of bars at the sides of the car
Im aware it's not w2w legal but would be easy (2 bars) to make it so. I think for hpde and tt it will be great. Considering that even with me driving the car is as fast as or faster than some actual race cars I feel its important to reduce the risk to myself in the event something unexpected happens
Last edited by Mike D; 12-17-2020 at 05:26 PM.
12-18-2020, 06:17 AM
#137
Thanks! I love the wot sound it makes.
The car weighs 2943 with 1/2 tank of gas.
No weight reduction has been done at all.
The dame day we weighed a bone stock rx8 at 3,004 with 3/4 tank of gas. Ive seen some claims mid 2800 on stock cars. So id say +-100lbs is fair.
Gm diff is all aluminum and the ppf goes away plus engine doesn't tuck quite as far back as the renisis, so a slight shift in weight. 54% weight up front now.
The car weighs 2943 with 1/2 tank of gas.
No weight reduction has been done at all.
The dame day we weighed a bone stock rx8 at 3,004 with 3/4 tank of gas. Ive seen some claims mid 2800 on stock cars. So id say +-100lbs is fair.
Gm diff is all aluminum and the ppf goes away plus engine doesn't tuck quite as far back as the renisis, so a slight shift in weight. 54% weight up front now.
12-18-2020, 10:59 AM
#138
mine w/Renesis was at 2700 lbs in STX legal trim with only a gallon or two of fuel; that’s mostly OE interior and chassis, though some lightening through seats, exhaust, brakes, wheels, shocks/springs/mounts
still whittling away getting it in DSP trim, get to replace and/or take some more stuff out, yet gain some too adding aero, bigger wheels, some chassis bracing
feeling a bit excited to see where it will end up after some recently allowed lighter replacement parts just showed up
.
still whittling away getting it in DSP trim, get to replace and/or take some more stuff out, yet gain some too adding aero, bigger wheels, some chassis bracing
feeling a bit excited to see where it will end up after some recently allowed lighter replacement parts just showed up
.
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Mike D (12-18-2020)
12-18-2020, 11:08 AM
#139
I have pics of the scale output, ill find and share.
Talked to kirk today. My t top bar idea was rejected. He said it would be to unsafe and i could go somewhere else if i want that. I can totally respect that.
Talked to kirk today. My t top bar idea was rejected. He said it would be to unsafe and i could go somewhere else if i want that. I can totally respect that.
Last edited by Mike D; 12-18-2020 at 11:11 AM.
12-18-2020, 11:36 AM
#140
Thanks. I'm genuinely curious how it stacks up to my car, which has more weight on the nose than I'd like due to the intercooler primarily. The min weight I run to for SCCA is 2577 (no driver) and I'm not quite there - I was 2640 on low fuel (3gal or so) last time I checked, with 52% of that on the nose.
12-29-2020, 09:05 PM
#146
You want the numbers? Haha.
so the story is i took the car in and was going to have some fab work done and a couple dyno pulls for baseline giggles.
I dropped the car off, 3 weeks later hurricane **** my town up showed up, no power for another week and i wanted the car for a series of events in october, November and December so i went and got it before any of the work happened.
Then I decided i needed to add some safety gear to this thing and now am in decision paralysis. A Full cage is a big commitment and ends any potential to fart around on the street.
I imagine i could go get on the dyno tommorow or Friday for a couple pulls. If you really wanted to know.
so the story is i took the car in and was going to have some fab work done and a couple dyno pulls for baseline giggles.
I dropped the car off, 3 weeks later hurricane **** my town up showed up, no power for another week and i wanted the car for a series of events in october, November and December so i went and got it before any of the work happened.
Then I decided i needed to add some safety gear to this thing and now am in decision paralysis. A Full cage is a big commitment and ends any potential to fart around on the street.
I imagine i could go get on the dyno tommorow or Friday for a couple pulls. If you really wanted to know.
12-30-2020, 10:32 AM
#148
Roll cage
I would not put off the cage, you should have one now for what you are doing with the car.
It is not going to influence your corner weights that much, it will increase your overall, but it may even help with your balance, I would not risk riding much on the street vs. my safety.
It is not going to influence your corner weights that much, it will increase your overall, but it may even help with your balance, I would not risk riding much on the street vs. my safety.
04-12-2021, 05:56 PM
#149
I haven't updated in a while. Not much excitement. Ive been in the wait list for barber 3 times with no luck. Planning on a trip to cota for a nasa event this summer.
I ended up putting the cage off. Finding a cage builder wasnt working in my favor and frankly it was discouraging. 10 hour range gets me to some well know builders but thats quite the trip to have to make multiple times. I currently have a guy building me a beefy 4 point. Hopefully that works out.
Osg lsd going in soon. Aslo have some pics i gotta get uploaded and share.
I ended up putting the cage off. Finding a cage builder wasnt working in my favor and frankly it was discouraging. 10 hour range gets me to some well know builders but thats quite the trip to have to make multiple times. I currently have a guy building me a beefy 4 point. Hopefully that works out.
Osg lsd going in soon. Aslo have some pics i gotta get uploaded and share.